Twisted Soul
by Mukaebi
Summary: Lucas isn't the only one with multiple personality problems. I know that this say I just put up this story but my idiot brother deleted it so I have to put it up again. Well, there are 2 new chapters now! That's good.
1. Chapter 1

            Hey, Umi Wave here saying that I'm sorry that I've been MIA for so long. My old laptop busted on me and it took me forever and a day to save up to get a new one so forgive me please. Okay, I also wanted to tell you that I don't own X-men Evolution so don't sue me!

                Cold wind beat against pale skin. The moister of the clouds he flew above had dampened his shirt. Shining stars and the milky white moon were the only sources of light and direction for his to follow. The chill of the air made him shiver ever so slightly like a single leaf on the branch of an autumn tree. 

                Lucas didn't know how long he had been flying, but personally, he didn't care that much. He had tricked Charles Xavier into freeing him, sealing his son away in the process, and now, without David or Ian to slow or hinder him, he could do whatever he desired. Anything and everything was nothing more than a toy that he could play with. A smirk spread on his face. His plan had played out so well, that he was sure that he could brag about it for years to come. He wished he had waited a little longer though, he could still hear the others inside his head. Like the "little voice inside" that people were always talking about. 

                He hovered down low, the ocean spray hitting his face. It was frigid, more so that even the winds up in the sky. Since Lucas didn't have a watch, he couldn't tell was time it was. He looked around in all directions, searching for some sort of sign. Turning to his right, he was blinded by the light of the breaking dawn. East. He stroked his chin, thinking of what direction to take. A thought came to mind. Why not go west and visit his dear father and the other mutants? It could be fun and an ego boost to take down his precious students. Laughing, he rose back into the sky and flew off waiting anxiously to see the Statue of Liberty in his view. 

***

                The steam in the bathroom was so thick. Rogue was sure that she would've suffocated in it if Kitty hadn't started banging on the door yelling at her to get out of the shower. Wiping the water droplets off the mirror, she looked at herself. Make-up free, her white and caramel hair dripping wet. As self centered as it sounded, she liked the way she looked. However, she couldn't allow herself be caught up in the shallow world of beauty and other things girls always took for granted. If that happened, she took the risk of grabbing some poor boys' attention then killing him with her power. Besides, it was fun to see the look on the students faces when she would walk past and the gothic make-up looked nice against her white skin and green eyes. 

                Pulling out the middle drawer, she took out a black and green make-up bag. It had never taken her long to apply her dark lipstick and eye shadow. She had gotten so used to it that it could only take her five minutes if she was interrupted. 

                Walking out of the bathroom, still towel drying her hair, she looked at the other students. Kitty has tapping her foot and looking down at an apparently invisible watch on her wrist. She stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door. Rogue just ignored her and continued back down the hall to the room she shared with Kitty. Something suddenly came over her and she felt light headed. She held her head in her hands and ran into the accent table next to her, knocking the vase off its stands. It shattered on the floor, quickly getting everyone's attention. They all turned to look at her, some of them still tired and kind of dazed, others worried that she might be losing control of her power again. Rubbing her eyes, making it look like she didn't see it, she stood up and opened the door into her bedroom. 

                The kitchen was crammed, like usual and ordinarily, Rogue wasn't at all bothered by it but today, it scared her. It was a feeling in her gut, that feeling that screams at you – No! You can't go in there – and that feeling had always made her nervous. Because it was always right.  A gloved hand and covered arm shot out as Amara walked passed with a basket of muffins. Blue berry. She didn't necessarily like blue berry muffins but it was better that going without breakfast at all. But seeing the mountain of eggs, pancakes, and sausage almost made her want to go back in there and get some real food. Almost. 

***

                Everything was the same as it was last year at Bayville High. But now they didn't have the protection they had gotten from Jean and Scott. Apparently everyone who had sided with Duncan when it came to mutants knew that. The scrutiny of their icy glares was almost unbearable and the tension that hung in the air was obvious. Even the teachers didn't give them a break, of course, that was probably Kurt and Kitty's fault for teleporting into the classrooms in their pajama's while they had the flu. For Kitty, it was literally a nightmare come true. 

                Kitty yelped as a soda can, thrown by one of the students, hit her in the head. Everything fell apart there. Paper, cans, even a few footballs and baseballs went flying at them as they ran as fast their legs could carry them out of the building. Every curse and insult rang in their ears while they rushed out. The people even followed them out into the courtyard of the building. The students that were still coming soon joined in. They were completely surrounded in a matter of seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

            Hey there, I just want to thank all of you people who reviewed on the first chapter of my fanfiction. It's a very good confidence booster. Okay then, on to chapter two!

                The entire school was in an uproar. The yells and shouts of the students were more like verbal mud. Each word lost in the countless words of the rest of the group. Trash was being thrown at the small group of mutants in the center of the rioting crowd from out of the garbage can some of the jocks had brought with them. They had nowhere to hide and no way to get out of the circle. All of them were bunched together, back-to-back and hip-to-hip. The new mutants were grouped together on the other side of the circle. Their clothes were torn and stained from garbage.

 Out of nowhere, some kid Amara knew from her history class rushed forward and punched Ray hard in stomach. He dropped to the ground and the other students soon followed, all of them hoping for a chance to beat the mutants. Kitty and Rogue were the first to start blocking kicks and punches. With a shout, another kid went flying over Sam's shoulder. Blocking just wasn't going to cut it. Even though it was good to get back at the people they once called peers for the endless abuse they had gotten last year, something moral still tugged at them. But that didn't stop them from fighting back. 

Rogue started feeling shivers running up and down her spine while she was fighting. They weren't of fear though they felt…good. She had never felt anything like it before until that moment. The shivers of pleasure were addictive, like a drug. The adrenalin coursed through her body, and the high she was on began to cloud her thoughts. She wanted more. 

There was a break in the fighting, and facing one of the jocks, she smugly grinned and he rushed at her. Just what she wanted. Slamming her knee into his stomach, she laughed as he sank to ground. 

A buzzing sound came to her ears. Her heart was pounding. The buzzing became louder, like a low roar. Her mind was completely clouded and she fought blindly. The roaring became louder. Something within her began to stir. Sweat was pouring down her face. The chills became more frequent. Something new was pouring through her. Power. Beautiful, glorious power. 

There were shouts and screams as she hurled some football player over her shoulder and completely over to the other side of the circle. 

The roaring grew even louder and Rogue covered her ears and fell to her knees as she tried to make the sounds go away. The roaring became clear. Voices, so many voices were screaming inside her. Some of them were women's voices, while others belonged to men. It was unbearable! The high she was on began to fade and hair on the back of her neck began to bristle. The world around her was a swirling mass of sounds and colors. Faces, voices, she knew that kid right? And that girl that just rushed past, she had been on the soccer team right? Her mind was flooded with memories and images. Like some freakish carousel ride, gone crazy. Her eyes widened and darted this way and that. 

Looking up, she gazed at some guy she had known from her art class and braced for a kick to the stomach. 

An image of Colossus flashed to the front of her mind. 

"Ah! What the hell –?" He shouted stepping back with a limp. "What _are_ you?!"

Wordlessly, Rogue stood up. Or at least what they thought was Rogue. From the chin up, she looked cold and uncaring like usual. From the neck down, she was as cold as steel…literally. Green eyes stared out blankly at the group of people, almost like she were looking through them, as if they were made of glass. Her clothes had been torn around her neck, shoulders, elbows and knees and the armored skin shone through. With gasps and screams, the students split and stepped aside as Rogue stepped forward, the other following behind her. 

"Go! Get out of here!" Shouted the head cheerleader. "We do need you _muties_ in _our_ school!" 

***

All right, sure the ocean was beautiful, but after looking at it for seemingly endless hours, seeing water was really getting annoying. Heck, even seeing some beach ball that had floated out to sea would be a nice change. All Lucas really wanted to see was some land. He never thought that he would be so happy to see where his father lived. 

He began to wonder about the other members of the X-men. He knew that there had to be more then just Scott, Jean and Ororo. Oh well, it probably didn't matter much since he was planning to take down all of them. 

"No! You can't do that!" David shouted from the back of his mind. Lucas cringed as he forced him back into the darkness. It was unbelievable! David had only just met Xavier, for not even five minutes, and already he was defending him. It was disgusting. After everything that man who dared to call himself his father did, David was defending him! He was going to take down the X-men and Xavier. Even if it was the last thing he ever did. 

                A smiled curled Lucas' lips as he strained his eyes. He could see a thin strip of land up ahead. It wouldn't be long now. He rose up higher into the air. If was going to be flying over the "city that never sleeps" he couldn't risk being seen now could he? Of course, it wasn't like anyone could really do anything about it if he was seen. A plane flew overhead with a roar as he ducked into a cloud. He had heard of road kill, but if he was hit by a plane, that would be absolutely ridiculous. 

**Authors note:** Sorry my chapters have been so short. 


	3. Chapter 3

            Hey there, happy Halloween people! I know it's early, but who cares. Halloween and October in general is awesome. 

            Wandering around the streets of New York, one would begin to notice that people don't really care who are even if you were dressed like the biggest freak on the east coast. 

                With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Lucas walked leisurely, taking his time, as if he hand all the time in the world. He was actually quite amazed by everything that he was seeing there. The buildings were so tall! There were so many museums, theaters, everything that he could possibly imagine seemed to be packed into one spot. And there were so many people and cars and taxis. If there hadn't been that nagging feeling tugging at him, he would've enjoyed it more. But there were more pressing matters that needed to be attended to. 

                While he had been flying over the Atlantic, he had been preoccupied with the idea of defeating the X-men, that he hadn't really given any thought whatsoever as to how he was going to go about doing that. That and the fact that he starving to death. Oh well, thought would probably come easier off the noisy streets anyway. 

***

                It was amazing that while people always seemed to try and find a place of peace and quiet that they had never thought to look up. The roof of the mansion had always been Rogue's get away. Like a vacation spot that only took a few minutes and a little effort to get to. Of course, she never went up during the winter for obvious reason. But winter was still a few months away, and besides, the chill October breeze was always so crisp and clean. 

                The breeze was always a comfort to her. But no amount of comfort would make her feel any better about everything. Apocalypse was released, she had killed her own mother, Magneto was gone, the others inside her head were getting restless and only God knew what had happened to the abandoned Acolytes. She wondered if they even knew that Magneto was dead and how Pietro and Wanda were taking it. So strong was the desire to just grab a bottle of pills and get life over with, after all, it wasn't like anyone would care. The kids at school would be celebrating. 

                But what of Kurt? What would he do? She was only family he had left. Even though it was because of her that Mystique was gone, Kurt had been forgiving, after about a week of the cold shoulder. 

                The wind picked up, and Rogue hugged her knees up to her chest. Looking up to the sky, she watched as the clouds floated overhead without a single care in the world. She sometimes wished she could be like that. But that would never happen. She was filled with so many things, people and emotions, no mattered how hard she tried to hide it, her family, her power, and her guilt. She wasn't sure how much more she could take before she burst. 

***

                Laying down on her back with a sigh, Kitty held up a flyer for the Halloween dance at school. She wanted so badly to go! She even knew what she wanted to wear. Flinging the paper off to the side, she stared up at her ceiling, thinking about what it would be like if she were just a normal teenager. 

                Kitty could picture herself dressed in the fusia and plum colored gypsy costume she had seen at the mall. Her hair was down and slightly curled. She would've been standing next to the refreshment table, talking with her computer class friends, dancing with some of cute guys. Well, it was a nice little daydream. Too bad she would never make it out of that gym alive. For all she knew, they wouldn't even let her or the others into the gym. She held her pillow over her face.

                "Yes, I, like, could so go for some punch right now" she said, her voice muffled.

***

                "Did you hear about what happened at Bayville high today?" said a girl at the table across from his.

                "Yeah, duh, tell me who didn't?" replied the other sarcastically. 

                "Those Xavier kids, the mutants were attacked. I heard they didn't even do anything."

                "I don't like mutants as much as the next person, but attacking them seems a bit harsh, don't you think?"

                "Yeah. That must suck being shunned like that. And people at our school complain when they get the cold shoulder!" 

                Lucas listened intently as he drank his coffee. Served his father right for abandoning him and the others. So what if his students suffered? It was their fault for exposing themselves anyway. Suddenly, his lunch seemed a lot less interesting. Completely ignoring his sandwich, he tuned into the two girls' conversation, listening to every word spoken as if his life depended on it. 

                "—and with the Halloween dance coming up, they must be really upset."

                A dance, huh? Well, that could be very entertaining. He could both defeat the X-men, and humiliate them at the same time, that was convenient. Besides, it would catch them completely off guard. And who would want to stay and help a group of mutants anyway? 

But what if they chose not to go? Now that he thought about it, Halloween would a wonderful to carry out his plans, whether they went to the dance or not. After all, what better setting could he possibly ask for? Halloween, a time to frighten and scare other people. He would become his fathers worst nightmare incarnated! It was perfect. Absolutely perfect, he would show those X-men and his father what fear truly was. Looking up at the screen, he saw a picture of the X-men nursing their wounds, and then a shot of the mansion on the local news. 

Paying his bill with a wad of cash he had telekinetically stolen, Lucas finished his coffee and headed toward the door. With his hand on the handle, he looked over his shoulder at the television screen. 

"Trick or treat _daddy dearest_," he muttered wickedly.

***

Rogue had no idea how long she had been sitting in silence in front of Xavier's desk. He said that he was probing her mind, but since when did that take an hour and ten minutes? After that long, it was so hard to try and keep her mind clear while he worked. She had begun to wonder if she would be stuck with an emptied mind for the rest of her life. Like when your paralyzed. Being mentally paralyzed sounded a little weird. She would never have another thought again. Now what fun would that be if she couldn't mentally shove Jean off a cliff or picture Magneto's new guys completely naked? Where would the fun of life go without a few dirty thoughts and images running through her mind?

Turning her attention back to Xavier, she could only laugh a little with embarrassment at the look that the Professor was giving her.      

"Ah don't think ya needed to see that, did ya?" said Rogue as she shifted uneasily in her seat.

"No," he replied bluntly. A smile then spread on his face. "But I must admit that you mental cartoon antics were quite entertaining."

"Uh…thank ya sir?"

"At any rate, the others inside of you seem to be forcing their way forward again. However, this is odd, as I was sure that Apocalypse would've taken those personalities when he came in contact with you. That feeling of bliss that you felt while you were fighting must've been the feelings of freedom that the others within were feeling at that time. You see Rogue, being trapped within you mind, they still act the same as normal people and as such, they too often long for excitement."

"Like that adrenaline high Ah was on."

"Yes."

"But can't ya just get rid of 'em like the last time? Ah mean, sure Ah was in the hospital for awhile but Ah was all right."

"I'm afraid not. There are far more personalities and it would be dangerous for you to undergo a procedure like that."

"Ah don't understand."

"The strain on your mind and you body is too risky for you to try and recover from. The chance of you surviving would be very slim."

"Then what am Ah supposed to do?"

"I'm afraid that you may have to stay out of any sort of combat as well as take sessions with me on gaining control over the other personalities."

"So --?"

"You will not be permitted to attend the Danger Room sessions, leave on missions or participate in any sort of competitive activity until you've gained control."

That was bad. Sure, she wouldn't mind missing Logan sessions, but she was competitive by nature! Doing this would drive her completely insane before she ever got control over her powers. Oh, what a cruel hand fate had smacked her with. And boy, did it sting.

**Author's note**:…READ AND REVIEW YOU LAZY BUMS!! 


	4. Chapter 4

            Hey there, yes, I'm back. I've been busy lately with seeing all these specialists for my chronic nausea and stuff so that's why I haven't been updating much so I'm sorry if that's inconvenient for any of you. 

                Boredom. The silent killer. Unless of course your so board that you start humming songs completely at random then it really isn't a silent killer any more. At any rate, since Magneto had been killed only about a week earlier, there really wasn't that much to do anymore. They weren't getting paid to work for him, so the Acolytes were pretty much stuck where they were. Gambit could probably get back to New Orleans if he tried hard enough, but there was no way that Pyro or Colossus could hitchhike back to Australia or Russia so that was a bit of a problem. 

                For seemingly endless days, they had done nothing but mope. Occasionally, Pyro would disappear somewhere to go watch Magneto die and his hysterical laughing could be heard throughout the entire base. All three of them used to go out into the city and wander around for awhile but since that little "incident" regarding one the former X-men Spyke and that group of kids, that really wasn't one of the safest activities anymore. 

                Today, there was no hysterical laughter, no wandering, heck, nobody really bothered to say anything either. 

                Gambit, Pyro and Colossus sat in the living room area. Pyro sat on the chair, his legs dangling over the armrest. He absentmindedly flicked a silver lighter open then shut, creating a new animal, person, or thing every time. Truth be told, he was running out of ideas. Lying down on the couch, Colossus sketched a drawing of his little sister Illyana, and the rest of his family. Sometimes he would stop and smile softly at the picture. Sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, Gambit quietly shuffled his cards over and over again, chuckling as he drew the queen of hearts from the top of the deck. 

                "Hey, I was just thinking'" Pyro said swinging his legs over the armrest. "Why don't we just go live with the X-men?" The confused and surprised looks from the others begged for an explanation. 

                "Just think about it mates. We'd be living in a mansion, there are plenty of pretty sheilas to look at—"

                "Amen to dat Johnny boy!" Gambit said with a grin. 

                "And we would only have to stay until we find a way back home."

                "Well den, let's git packin' boys!"

***

                It had been a week since the professor started telling Rogue that she was no longer able to participate in competitive activities. Oh hell, it was driving her completely insane!! She had no idea how much longer she could last before she jumped off a cliff. She was very glad that there were a lot of cliffs close to the mansion. Sigh, the convenience of the location of the mansion. Desperate times called for desperate acts of desperateness. She'd be thrilled if someone would play chess with her…and she hated chess! 

                Sitting alone on the widow sill, she did her best to sort out her thoughts. Besides, she could swear to God that there was something going on between her brother and Wanda. She wasn't accusing him of cheating or anything but he and Amanda had started drifting apart over the past month or so. Wanda, she wondered how she and Pietro were taking Magneto's death. She knew that Wanda's real memories were altered but she still had to worry and wonder. And what ever became of the Acolytes? Wait; hold on…why she was worrying about them for?! They nearly got her killed when they first fought! And that guy, Remy, had kidnapped her and used her to save his father. Well, unlike her late mother he used her for a good reason. Besides, it made her feel better. Pulling her wallet out of her back pocket, she opened it and looked at the card he had given her. The queen of hearts, clique but sweet. 

***

                Professor Xavier sat in front of Cerebro, the helmet on his head. His eyebrows furrowed in dismay as he searched for David.  Well, at least he wasn't the only one dealing with this kind of emotional stress.

 Gabrielle had called earlier, asking if he had any information on David. He answered with an honest and saddened "no". He could hear her choking back tears. In hopes that it might cheer her up, he invited her over to the Mansion. She had been a little nervous about the idea of living in the same house with him and his mutant students but she eventually agreed, liking the idea that she would be better informed if she did stay. Ororo and Logan were to pick her up at the airport in an hour. 

This wasn't just going to be uncomfortable for her, but for the students as well. Jean and Scott had told the others about Gabrielle and there had been an uneasy tension hovering over the students. They just couldn't believe that the Professor had been married and had a son. Further more, a son that was more or less insane. 

Wheeling out of the Cerebro room, he rubbed his temples, sending out a quick message to Rogue, telling her to meet him at the gazebo for her session. As cruel as it sounds, this was quite the confidence booster. Rogue had personality problems of her own, and far worse then those David had. Unlike David, she was unable to remove them from her mind, now she was sharing her head with the X-men, New Mutants, Brotherhood, and the Acolytes. Xavier was impressed that she had managed to keep control for so long. 

Still, learning how to keep it that way would be long and difficult. There was really no promise that she would be able to in the first place. She was under a lot of pressure right now and the isolation from the rest of her team wouldn't go over well with her emotional state. She had isolated herself on her own when her power first manifested, making her cold and defensive. This wasn't good and he worried that this new situation would only make it worst. 

***

Planes were taking off and landing, and the airport was packed with people. Different languages whirled around on the air like a swarm of locus. People were pushing and shoving as they tried their best to retrieve their bags and get their families onto the buses into the city. Although, this didn't come as much of a surprise, the New York international airport had always been busy. 

Lost among the nameless faces, Ororo and Logan pushed forward until they couldn't go any further because of heightened security. Stepping up on the tips of her toes, Ororo did her best to try to see over the crowd. 

"Ms. Haller!" Ororo shouted with a wave. "Ms. Gabrielle Haller!" 

A woman with short brown hair was looking around in all directions, occasionally being pushed and shoved by other people. A leather purse hung from her shoulder and she pulled a forest green rolling suitcase behind her. Looking up, she caught sight of Ororo and walked briskly up to her. 

"It-it's good to see you again Ms. Monroe" She said a little nervously. 

"Please, call me Ororo. This is Logan, another one of our teachers at the Xavier Institute."

"Thank you for allowing me to stay, I hope that I may be of some help in finding my son"

"Don't worry, we'll find him, and help him. You'll get your son David back, I promise" said Ororo with a smile. 

***

                The pain was unbearable. The harder Rogue worked, the less she seemed to accomplish. The voices were driving her insane and the power inside was stirring again. She didn't know how long she had been trying to summon up Pietro's speed but it seemed like hours. Images, hopes, dreams, fears, memories, they flashed before her eyes until her legs began to buckle beneath her. 

                "Rogue! You may stop," said the professor. She sank to the ground, sweat dripping down her face. 

                "Professah, this just ain't workin', Ah can't do this!" She yelled, frustrated.

                "This is going to take time Rogue, you mustn't rush this. You have to gain control, and the longer you try, the stronger your control."

                "Yes sir" She sighed. "Ah think Ah need to lie down."

***

                The taxi pulled up to the corner, just outside of the hotel. Gambit grinned and threw his stuff into the trunk followed by Pyro and Colossus. Climbing into the cab, they told the driver to go to the Xavier Mansion. The man looked at little stunned but just shrugged his shoulders and drove off. 

                Buildings whooshed passed and people walking by became blurs as they left New York. 

                Bayville was actually a lot larger then they thought it was. It obviously wasn't as large as New York but it was still big none the less. But since the X-men made their home here, it didn't come as much as a surprise when they noticed the anti-mutant graffiti on the walls. Something within the Acolytes made them feel miserable at seeing it. When Magneto had told them about the X-men, he had shown them pictures along with a summary of their powers. Some of their smiles had been bright and happy. They probably didn't smile that way anymore.

                "I hope you boys don't attend Bayville like the others," said the driver, "them Xavier kids were run outta school just last week." 

                "Remy didn't hear 'bout dat!" he said in alarm. 

                "You don't say? It was all over the news. The teachers said that the students threw trash at the muties and were beating them up until some girl used her power and turned her body to metal. They left after that"   

                "Dat's interesting…" Remy trailed off shooting a glance at Piotr. Piotr shrugged and shook his head, he couldn't understand why Rogue could still use his powers. She hadn't taken them since that time when Apocalypse was first released. 

                Their minds were still flooded with questions as they stopped just outside the Mansion gates.

                Author's Note: Sorry for the wait folks.  


	5. Chapter 5

            The students were all gathered in the commons room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Xavier's ex-wife. This would certainly be interesting and everyone was excited. They wondered if she was pretty. Did she and the professor have any more children? How long, exactly, had they been married? 

                All conversation came to a sudden stop as she walked into the room, Logan and Ororo by her side. Gabrielle shot a quick glance to Xavier and then her eyes darted around the room looking at all of the students. Jean and Scott smiled reassuringly and the youngest waved at her with a grin. Her gaze suddenly fell on the girl with two-toned hair. Her collar and bracelets were the same as Lucas'. It was depressing to look at and she tore her gaze away as the sting of tears came to her eyes. With another glace, she could see the questioning and concerned look in her eyes. 

                "Everyone this…this is Gabrielle Haller. She has agreed to stay at the mansion until we—" Xavier was interrupted by the door bell. Logan sniffed at the air, growled, and unsheathed his claws as he stalked toward the door. Gabrielle looked at him, stunned. 

***

            It was just your everyday, ordinary, nothing happening afternoon at the Brotherhood house. So much had been happening and yet they always seemed to ignore it, or not care. Nothing seemed to bother them at all so long as they could just lounge around and do nothing all day they were fine and happy. 

                Wanda was up in her room, some of her furniture shoved up against the door since it didn't have a lock. That was the first thing on her mental "What-to-do" list. She could hear Lance downstairs playing his guitar, Todd yelling as a massive explosion signaled that it was obviously "that time of the month" for Tabitha. Fred and Pietro were probably just watching TV. 

                There was a knock at the door. Lance, knowing well that it couldn't be Kitty, took his time as he approached the door. 

                "What is it?" He said lazily. With a flick of the wrist, he was sent flying into the kitchen. Wanda rushed down the stairs, a hex bolt glowing in her hands. With a quick shot, the man on her porch was enveloped in blue light, power sparks cracking and bursting. Pietro and the other's soon followed, all of them staying (safely) behind Wanda. 

                "Who are you?" She shouted angrily. "Answer me! You're obviously in the wrong house!" 

                "Oh? Then were should I be? With the _X-men_? With my _father_?" He hissed angrily. Wanda stared, releasing her hold on him. Cautiously, she stepped forward, her hands still clenched in fists at her sides. 

                "Your…father?" She stuttered. 

***

                Logan cringed. He was getting really sick of seeing this guy. Suitcases were piled high on the top step; Remy smirked, Pyro swallowing nervously remembering their previous and not-to-pleasant encounter. Piotr appeared, yet again, unfazed. 

                "What do ya want bub?" He growled, sheathing his claws.

                "Nothin' much mon amie. Just a place t' stay for a while," Remy replied shuffling a deck of cards. 

                "Yeah. Right and I want to be the tooth fairy!"

                _"Logan! Show them inside"_

_                "You have got to be joking!"_

_                "Logan…"_

_                "Fine! But I'm not making any promises on getting 'em to the commons room in one piece!"_

Just when Rogue thought that her life couldn't get any worse, it went beyond rock bottom. Though she kept her patented death glare in place, her mental airplane of sanity and self restraint had just been shot down and was spiraling in a fiery blaze into the dark abyss of her mind. Oh yeah, her life sucked. Even though she had enjoyed going to Mardi Gras with Remy (she had heard his real name said by one of the Rippers) she couldn't see the saucy Cajun as anything other then a cunning womanizer that should be sent to the fiery pit where the coffee was always cold. 

                Protests from the students had immediately gone flying as Logan stalked into the room, the Acolytes following him in. Well, at least some did. Remy grinned, winking at the younger girls, causing them to blush and giggle. Scott and the other X-men, still feeling the heat of anger for the attack on them and the mansion. It was their fault that mutants had been exposed and their lives destroyed. Some of them reacted more then others. 

                The sky clouded over, thunder rolled, the dishes in the kitchen fell and shook on their shelves and the entire mansion quacked. Rogue glared at Remy, all of her hatred and loathing pulsed in her mind. (Boy, she was so deep in denial she didn't realize she was denying anything at all.) She didn't care. Her hair fluttered, and her green eyes glowed white as lightning flashed. 

                "Rogue!" The professor shouted. "Remain calm! Control yourself, as I have been training you to do!" All activity stopped as everyone turned to stare at her, eyes wide. 

                "What are ya'll starin' at!?" She shouted. Claws shot from her hand, piercing the leather chair she was sitting on. With a low growl and "snick" of metal claws, she stormed out of the room, up the stairs and to her bedroom, closing her door with a slam. 

***

                Wanda brought out whatever beverage she could find in the near empty refrigerator. There wasn't any ice and the electricity had been cut off so she hoped that he wouldn't mind that his coca-cola was warm. 

                Pietro sat almost thoughtfully listening to Lucas. To think that he thought that his family needed counseling. It was the one thing that he figured that most mutants had in common. Family troubles. Whether or not it had happened before or after powers had manifested, most mutants never seemed to have a stable family. 

                "Why would you wanna stay with us, yo? In case you haven't noticed, this ain't no mansion," Todd asked. 

                "My father was always so busy taking care of everybody elses freaks that he never had time for his own," Lucas replied. Taking the drink from Wanda, he nodded in thanks, popped the top and drank the entire can in mere seconds. "I'm going to take down his group of X-men," he growled, "It's the only reason I'm here,"

                "But we're the losers, yo! The X-men are winners, it all balances out," 

                "Ah, but change is on the horizon my friends," Lucas smirked.  

***

                Standing on her balcony, Rogue remained quiet as she let the chilled early evening air brush her hair out of her face. The sun glowed orange and the sky was painted in the mixed shades of red to rose pink. From so far away she could see the ocean glistening like liquid rubies and smell the salty spray as it hit the rocks. 

                Stepping back into her room, making sure to shut the glass balcony doors, she flopped onto her bed and lay on her side staring out the windows at the freedom that seemed so out of reach. So much seemed out of reach. Love, family, friendship, control, nothing was left out for her to grasp. It was sickening. 

                "Hey, Stripes," Logan said creaking the door open, "time for dinner. You coming?"

                "Ah'm not hungry," she replied bluntly, running her fingers along the bindings of the books on her shelf. 

                "Okay. I'll save you something. You know, just in case you want it later," he said. She didn't even bother to look up, she just nodded as she pulled an Anne Rice novel from bunches of vampire stories and sat on her bed. 

                Vampires. It was funny, but Rogue could always compare herself to them somehow. It made perfect sense. They took blood, she took energy, memory, and powers. Yeah, vampires were her only friends, even if they were just fictional characters. It was a cold comfort. Like a soaking wet coat on a winters day.   

Author's Note: Sorry this story is moving so slowly. It'll get better eventually, plus, adding these bits and pieces will help the story make sense in later chapters. 


End file.
